Everyone has an opinion on graffiti. On one hand it costs councils thousands of pounds every year to remove it from public property. However, for some, it's one of the greatest forms of modern art.
Stenciling is a popular form of modern graffiti, and is often used to convey political and social messages to the viewer in a pictorial form. A famous stenciling artist is Banksy, with his provocative and thought-provoking work that can be appreciated as more than just mere vandalism.
Graffitti artists commonly utilize spray paint as their medium, using different size nozzles to achieve broader or more precise lines. However, some graffiti artists choose to use brushes or sponges, sometimes combining all three in their artwork.
Modern graffitti does not require that a certain style is used. Cartoons, caricatures and portraits are often used to convey a message, with decorative text styles and interesting uses of perspective.
Modern graffiti is true street art, appearing overnight on walls, in subways and on buildings. Graffitti artists often paint their murals illegally, working under cover of darkness with a team of sentries to watch for law enforcers or pedestrians. Because of the controversial material contained in many murals, graffiti is now considered to be a form of resistance art, in rebellion against common public beliefs and government laws.
The ultimate achievement for many graffiti artists is to create their work in places that are dangerous to get to, or difficult to paint on. Spraying a piece on the side of a train, for example, is quite an achievement, as trains are often under close guard, and have a slick surface which causes the paint to run.
As with all genres of art, there are amazing graffiti artists, and those who attempt to be amazing, but fall far short of their goal, and end up being mere vandals
However, there is a lot of amazing graffiti out there, and many graffiti artists are now being commissioned to decorate buildings and offices. As an art form, it requires not only technical ability, to use the tools required.
What was once considered an act of vandalism, is now being utilized by big business as a way of marketing and advertising.
ReplyDeleteFor example:
with the popularity and legitimization of graffiti has come a level of commercialization. In 2001 IBM launched an advertising campaign in Chicago and San Francisco which involved people spray painting on sidewalks a peace symbol, a heart, and a penguin (Linux mascot), to represent "Peace, Love, and Linux." However due to illegalities some of the "street artists" were arrested and charged with vandalism, and IBM was fined more than $120,000 for punitive and clean-up costs:(
I assume, that street art is similar to the art, which we can see in museums or galleries. It is more free and enable young people express their ideas and their opinion. Street art make our cites more colorful and more interesting. Of course, when people make their art in the places, which are legitimate. Formerly people make pictures in the caves, where they were living in. Nowadays people live in the big cities and that’s way the art is changing. The place for art isn’t only in the galleries. The art is also on the street. I think that we should love it :)
ReplyDeleteI like streetart, when I find it OK for me. I like big pictures (like on Służewiec) or even small made with a pattern then so called tags, wich I find as vandalism.
ReplyDeleteI also like little sticker in buses, subway... or on ASP :-)
I do not perceive all graffiti as acts of vandalism. I like those big graphics and pictures when they present some value. However much of it, those so called tags or things like that especially written on buses, buildings etc. without permission, is just vandalism for me.
ReplyDeleteI think that there should be special places for street artists to express themselves without devastating public property. Then it would be totally fine for me.
For me graffiti is like art. I like watching colourful paintings which showed different, smoetimes ulterior motives. The motivations and objectives that drive street artists are as varied as the artists themselves.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, street art shouldn't be noticeable on the public building, trains, buses. Local authorities should provide places where street artists could develope their interests.
I love how it looks!
ReplyDeleteI had many friends that tag everywhere and i would always ask how they do all thosee beautifull designs....I also like how they look all over the streets like decorations..I think there should be like a special place for all those artist. Because they are artists!
I'm a fan of Banksy. I love the way he sends massages thru his art. My favourite graffiti is "girls with a baloon".
ReplyDeleteFew years ago, platform of Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa in central Warsaw was covered with great graffities. Now this wall is grey, with birds dung and ads of Biedronka :/...
I enjoy street art, but only in legal places (vandalism is making graffiti on trains, buses or buildings. I always admire art (good graffiti with idea and moral is art) on wyścigi's wall. It is great place where every graffiti-man can paint and every puławska driver can see it:) In Warsaw should be more such places - maybe graffiti on trains and buildings will disappear or never appear.
ReplyDeleteGraffiti may be not only form of vandalism but also art. I suppose that not everybody agree with me, but painting in the centre of the city is part of our culture. Many times peoples who make this illustrations are also author of many texts and music. They create hip-hop culture and hip-hop reality. What is important they believe that they make it for both themselves and also for all world. I saw film about this people and they confide to the camera that street art is their addition and they allocate on this their all money. In may opinion street art is very interesting form of art, but in my opinion vandalism should be punish, However where is limit between art and vandalism?
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to say which standpoint I choose in case of street art. I like street art if it is worth seeing, it is beautiful and it was made by an artist. I hate it when I see some signatures or simply words on the wall which are awful and careless. In my opinion street art can make city beautiful and colorful but not everyone should colour the walls…
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion graffiti may be form of art, but not always is. Some kinds of this activity is a vandalism. But when someone who is artistically talented dels with graffiti his works may be real works of art.
ReplyDeleteI love it..Of course not everywhere. When somebody make graffiti on my flat it's not so nice. But on the old factory it looks perfect. I'm saying about big street art not about short signatures or words on the wall. Evyrything is for people but as Beetle wrote not evyrobody should do it.
ReplyDeleteGraffiti is important part of modern art. I claim, that graffiti can have a giant influence on usual people who don't have any contacts with art, becouse everywhere we can find some wall paitings. It will be a great success if somebody apreciate some stop for a minute to think about some graffiti. In my opinion it can realy develop our sensivity. Of course, forms of vandalism which are covering some monuments or public buildings aren't art for me.
ReplyDeleteI like graffiti when it's interesting, there is some artistic vision behing this and when it's done on some old walls, ruined houses, old trains and places like that. But graffiti on some newly builded or renowated building - it's vandalism and it annoys me.
ReplyDeleteI'm really a big fun of this kind of art. Especially when graffiti is all about making a sign on a wall. But I also know few places in Toruń that shows graffiti in a very interesting way. Like for example there in undergrounde passage in which young people showed their tallent by drawing people caricatures. It makes a grey, old passage really colourfull and nice to walk through.
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